Gwinnett Officer Dragged by Vehicle Driven by Driver with Suspended License

A man in his twenties was arrested after he violated several different traffic laws. His charges include:

• Suspended License in Georgia
• Obstruction in Georgia
• Reckless Driving in Georgia
• Violation of Probation in Georgia
• And Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police in Georgia.

According to reports, the man dragged a Gwinnett County police officer with his car as he drove away from a traffic stop. He allegedly put the car in park as he was pulled over. But shortly into the conversation with the officer, he put it back in drive and attempted to flee the scene. This resulted in the dragging of the officer. Fortunately, the officer only suffered minor scrapes and bruises.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will outline the offense of driving with a suspended license as it is a much more serious charge than most Georgians believe.

Driving with a Suspended License in Georgia

Driving with a Suspended License in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-121 as:

Any person who drives a motor vehicle on any public highway of this state without being licensed as required by subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-20 or at a time when his or her privilege to so drive is suspended, disqualified, or revoked shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for a first conviction thereof and, upon a first conviction thereof or plea of nolo contendere within five years, as measured from the dates of previous arrests for which convictions were obtained to the date of the current arrest for which a conviction is obtained or a plea of nolo contendere is accepted, shall be fingerprinted and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two days nor more than 12 months, and there may be imposed in addition thereto a fine of not less than $500.00 nor more than $1,000.00.

What happens in a suspended license is what as lawyers we refer to as the never-ending suspended license cycle.

A driver gets a suspended license for a DUI in Georgia, or for failing to pay a traffic ticket.  Then the driver is found guilty of the suspended license, and it causes another suspended license.  As a result, the license suspension is extended by a minimum of another 6 months. So, then each and every arrest and conviction results in a further suspension of the drivers license.

Practice Note

Contact our offices today if you or a loved one is in the suspended license cycle. This can happen as the result of a charge for DUI in Georgia or from other charges. We can help you now.